Acts 20
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. (1917 “laid wait” [epiboule] means plot, scheme, a (secret) scheme to do something; especially something wicked or illegal, a project or design, or a plan formed against one.)
DEVOTION: There are always those who don’t want the message of the LORD Jesus Christ to be taught or preached. They come in all forms. Here we have the Jewish people who don’t want any of their Jewish neighbors becoming believers in Christ.
Their solution is to try to kill Paul who is preaching Christ. They don’t want to meet him in their synagogues or on the street to talk with him about his believes to try to prove him wrong publicly. Instead they just want to hide somewhere where he is going to be to kill him. That is an easier solution.
We have many people today that are condemning Christianity in our public schools. They don’t want any of the children to say “Happy Easter” to other children because it would be offensive. We have teachers teaching fifth grader student in Texas that 911 is our fault as Americans because we are so negative. Our government says that Christians are radicals that have to be watched.
There have continued to be plots against Christians since the resurrection of Jesus to today. It will not end. Satan is a real fallen angel that wants to still think that he can win the battle against Christianity. He is wrong.
We may be losing some battles but the war is won. No matter what people say and do against the gospel of Jesus Christ it is still true and the only way to heaven.
CHALLENGE: Keep looking to the LORD for help to defend against the plots of the servants of the devil. Some of them even think that they are pleasing the God of the Bible. Sad but true.
: 7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (1256 “preached” [dailegomai] means dispute, reason with, speak, or mingle thought with thought.)
DEVOTION: Paul is heading for Jerusalem. He says that the Holy Spirit has warned him that bonds and afflictions await him. He continued to visit churches and encourage believers.
While he was in Troas, the church gathered on the first day of the week, which was Sunday, to commemorate the resurrection of Christ from the dead. HE arose after three days in the grave. There were four things mentioned in chapter 2 that the disciples did when they gathered together to worship the LORD. The four were teaching the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers.
Here we find that Paul was sharing the apostles’ doctrine with the people. He was going to leave the next day so he spoke to them for a long time. At midnight a young man named Eutychus fell asleep. While asleep he fell out a window from the third loft. He was taken up dead. That was a long service. He was a guest speaker. He was on his way to Jerusalem. He didn’t know if he was going to return. He wanted to share as much as he could in this one sermon to have them understand the truths of the word of God. He stopped his sermon to go outside to embrace Eutychus and told the people not trouble themselves because there was life in him. He then went up and started teaching again until the break of day.
Today we want a service to last a very short time and many don’t want to hear too much doctrine. If the preacher goes pass noon people will get up and leave. That is one of the reasons the church is in the state it is in today. We need to know what the Bible teaches because of all the false teachings that are out there in our world. We need a complete Biblical worldview which includes all the doctrines or teachings covered in the Bible. Paul told the elders of Ephesus church that he presented the whole counsel of God in his teaching ministry. He stated that the blood of all those who heard him was on their own shoulders because his were clean.
To many have only a partial worldview that is Biblical. We need the whole counsel of God presented to our churches on a regular basis. Do our churches mingle thought with thought regarding every book of the Bible in an orderly fashion? We need messages that cover from Genesis to Revelation in all of our Biblical churches. We need more times of fellowship instead of less. Many churches have given up on Sunday evening service and prayer meetings. They only meet for one or two hours on Sunday. How much milk and meat can we serve in that time?
Another habit this chapter addresses is the fact that Paul went house to house presenting the Word of God. We need that again today.
CHALLENGE: We need to pray that those around us and as well as ourselves are learning on a regular basis the whole counsel of God. Let’s not fall asleep during the message.
: 13 And we went before to ship, and sailed to Assos, there intending to take in Paul, for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. (3195 “intending” [mello] means be about to, is going to, to be imminent or impending, occur soon in the future, be destined, to be on the point of, or to have in mind.)
DEVOTION: The “we” in this verse includes the author of the book of Acts. His name is Luke. He wrote the book of Luke also. He was a doctor by profession. He was one who traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys. He gives us a insiders report on what was happening in the first century church.
God called men to be with Paul on his missionary trips to be an encouragement to him. We need individuals to help us in our service to Jesus. There are many times when we can get discouraged. Life can be hard. People can be hard. There is always an enemy around every corner in the life of a true servant of the LORD.
Sometimes the enemy can be fellow believers. They don’t want anyone to succeed but themselves. They will try to have the preeminence in a local church and hinder anyone who is trying to serve the LORD outside of their realm of authority.
God knows who HIS faithful servants are and does send others to encourage them. Paul needed traveling companions to help him serve the LORD. We need traveling companions to help us serve the LORD.
Work with a team of believers that have your back when you are in the service of the King. They can support you through prayer and other ways to encourage you to move forward for the LORD.
I have some people who are encouragers in this ministry. Each time I think “what am I doing” they come alongside with a word of encouragement. I hope that I am an encouragement to others who are struggling in their service for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Be an encourager of someone today. Luke the physician was an encourager!!!
: 20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house. (3624 “house” [oikos] means home, household, any dwelling place, place where one has fixed his residence, property or one’s settled abode.)
DEVOTION: When the church started many gatherings were done in individual’s homes. So, the apostles would have gone into the homes and taught the individual family or a gathering of Christians.
Paul states that he “kept nothing back” that was profitable for growth in the LORD. He would have given instructions he received from the Old Testament and from the LORD. He would have shown how other people can witness for the LORD with the use of the Old Testament.
Most of the people would have been witnessing to fellow Jews about Jesus being the Messiah. However, in Ephesus there were many Greek or Gentile believers. He would have had to teach them the basics of the Old Testament and how to witness to fellow Gentiles.
He states in the book of Romans that he would become all things to all men so that he could win one to Christ. He would not break the law of God but he would use any legal method to win individuals to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Those who have been followers of Christ for a long time need to be teachers of others. We have moved away from inviting people into our homes to learn more about Christ. Very few Christians open their homes to Bible studies compared to the days of Paul. There is the thought that if someone needs to learn more about Christ they can go to church. These are wrong thoughts at times.
The church is a good place to learn but there is a great need for more instructions for believers. There needs to be individual follow-up for those who make a commitment to Christ. This is the only way there can be real growth in the LORD. The pastor doesn’t have the time to do this with every individual family. Church members need to step up to the plate and help in this ministry.
Pastors should visit their members and those who regularly attend at least once a year to see how they are doing and if they have individual questions regarding his ministry or the ministry of the church.
The elders need to make sure those who are saints in the church are growing and hold nothing back. Those who are new believers need to be instructed by individuals who are mature in the faith. There should be members of local churches who are growing Christians and helping others to grow with the knowledge they have already learned.
The Bible is available to everyone in their own language. There is no reason for believers to stay “baby” Christians for forty years. We have too many forty-year-old Christians, who are still “babies” in their knowledge of the way of knowing Christ intimately.
CHALLENGE: If you are still young in the faith find a mature believer to help you grow. If you have been a believer for a long time and know little find a good source to learn more. Don’t be satisfied with staying a baby or carnal Christian.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Paul kneeled down to prayverse 36
Paul prayed with elders of Ephesusverse 36
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Days of unleavened breadverse 6
First day of weekverse 7
Paul preachedverse 7
Day of Pentecostverse 16
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Gospelverse 24
Council of Godverse 27
Word of HIS graceverse 32
Words of the Lord Jesusverse 35
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 32
Grace of Godverse 24
Kingdom of Godverse 25
Counsel of Godverse 27
Church of Godverse 28
Commend to Godverse 32
Word of HIS graceverse 32
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 19, 21, 24,35
Jesusverses 21, 24, 35
Christverse 21
Lord Jesus Christverse 21
Lord Jesusverses 24, 35
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Paul bound in the Spiritverse 22
Holy Ghostverses 23, 28
Witnessverse 23
Bonds and afflictions for Paulverse 23
Holy Ghost appoints overseersverse 28
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Macedoniaverses 1, 3
Greeceverse 2
Syriaverse 3
Asiaverses 4, 16, 18
Thessalonianverse 4
Derbeverse 4
Troasverses 5, 6
Phippi verse 6
Assosverses 13, 14
Miletusverses 14, 15
Chiosverse 15
Samosverse 15
Trogylliumverse 15
Ephesusverse 16
Greeksverse 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Jews laid wait for Paulverses 3, 19
Temptationsverse 19
Shun to declareverse 27
Grievous wolvesverse 29
Within church evil men arise verse 30
Speaking perverse thingsverse 30
Draw disciples away from churchverse 30
Covet verse 33
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Disciplesverses 1, 7
Embracedverse 1
Exhortationverse 2
Purposeverse 3
Break breadverse 7
Preachverses 7, 25
Elders of the churchverse 17
Serving the LORDverse 19
Humility of mindverse 19
Many tearsverse 19
Keep back nothingverse 20
Taught publiclyverse 20
Taught house to houseverse 20
Testifyingverse 21
Repentanceverse 21
Faithverse 21
Finish our course with joyverse 24
Ministryverse 24
Testify the Gospelverse 24
Graceverses 24, 32
Pureverse 26
Watchverse 31
Rememberverse 31
Warnverse 31
Build up each otherverse 32
Inheritanceverse 32
Sanctifiedverse 32
Support the weakverse 35
Giveverse 35
Prayverse 36
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jewsverses 3, 19, 21
Jerusalemverses 16, 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Paulverses 1-38
Disciplesverses 1, 7
Embracedverse 1
Exhortationverse 2
Sopater of Bereaverse 4
Aristarchusverse 4
Secundusverse 4
Gaiusverse 4
Timotheusverse 4
Tychicusverse 4
Trophimusverse 4
First day of the weekverse 7
Preachedverses 7, 9, 25
Break breadverses 7, 11
Eutychusverses 9-12
Raised deadverses 9, 10, 12
Eldersverse 17
Taught publiclyverse 20
Taught house to houseverse 20
Pure from blood of all menverse 26
Declare the whole counsel of Godverse 27
Elders care for the flockverse 28
Overseers appointed by Holy Ghostverse 28
Elders to feed the flockverse 28
Church purchased by blood of Christverse 28
Watch the churchverse 31
Warn the church verse 31
Brethrenverse 32
More blessed to give than receiveverse 35
Last Things (Future Events)
Kingdom of Godverse 25
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